Problems with 2005 Ford Freestyle POWER TRAIN

Sudden acceleration in vehicle: after driving 200 miles i was pulling into a parking space when i had a sudden acceleration in the vehicle. i had my foot firmly on the brake with no contact on the accelerator. the turn was a 180 degree turn into the parking space. (90 into driveway then continuous 90 degree turn into space.) had to increase angle of turn to avoid hitting parked car. immediately after the acceleration the vehicle stalled. there was no difficulty restarting the vehicle. the radio was off, air conditioning on (approximately 90 degrees outside, sunny high humidity.) three adult passengers in vehicle at time. speed approximately 10 miles an hour. first time i noticed this in the vehicle. three hours later as i was decelerating while approaching a light i also had a sudden surge lasted maybe two seconds. had foot on brake at the time. was able to continue slowing despite surge in engine and attempts by car to increase speed. car did not stall this time. speed about 25 mph. have driven about 300 miles since and have not experienced the problem. vehicle front wheel drive with cvt transmission. *kb

My 2005 ford freestyle sel fwd has sudden acceleration problems in both forward and reverse. this issue happens more frequently and is worse in the warmer months. this issue has been going on for the past 4 years with my vehicle. the sudden acceleration caused my freestyle to shut down and go into engine failsafe mode the last time. the acceleration issue occurs multiple times a day. the dealer says that since there is not a recall on the vehicle there is nothing that they can do that won't come out of my pocket. i am worried that the car will one day lunge forward or backwards into another vehicle or a person walking around the car. ford needs to be forced to issue a recall and correct this problem before someone is gravely injured. *kb

This is the second time i had to tow this car to the dealership due to transmission issues. i have already spent $6,000.00 on the transmission and then it lunges while backing up and i have to take it in to the dealership again. it is very scary to drive this car when it does this. they have the nerve to tell me it is the air filter!!!!! how can the air filter cause the wrench light and engine safe mode to come on!!! they know that it is the transmission and they don't want to fix it so they are giving me the run around. there is no way i should have to replace the transmission twice on a 2005 vehicle. i am scared to death to drive it cause i never know when it will leave me stranded or just lunged into something or someone. please investigate this before someone gets hurt. *tr

I purchased at 2005 ford freestyle in 2006. my vehicle now has 88,800 miles on it as of 07/18/11. over the past year my vehicle has began accelerating when i shift the vehicle into a forward or reverse gear. my foot is always firmly on the brake. recently, i have been turning the a/c on low and watching the rpm's before i shift into gear. my car will still jump on me and the motor will accelerate even at 500 rpm"s. i will not go through a drive thru because this is where my car will cause the most problems and i never know when my vehicle will begin to malfunction. i have called 2 ford dealerships and they are aware of this issue, but they would have to duplicate the problem before they can diagnose anything. they state it could be a number of issues. i am reluctant to take it in cause i know that i will be spending lots of money and the problem will not be resolved. i think ford needs to isolate the problem and fix it. this seems to be very similar to the issues that some of the ford taurus's had in the past. this car is just a revamped ford taurus....different look same problems! *kb

Since july, my car has been lunging both forward and in reverse when my foot is not on the accelerator. i have come close to running into cars, people, and my garage due to these surges. it started off happening from time to time. now it is daily and sometimes multiple times per day. in addition to the surges, there are times it struggles to accelerate. *tr

Our 2005 ford freestyle is lunging forward at low speeds. we need to firmly press on the brakes to stop it which is very dangerous! at this point, the engine stalls. it seems clear this is a very common issue in this vehicle due to a malfunctioning throttle body. this is not safe and there needs to be a recall to permanently fix the issue! *tr

Car lurches when placed in reverse. needed to stomp brakes to prevent crashing. this has happened twice in the past month. lurching stops if car is turned off for a while. *tr

Car unexpectedly lunges when sitting at idle position on hot days with a/c working hard. does so in drive or reverse. most concerned while sitting in car pool line at elementary school on hot days. kids walk in front of car frequently and this lunging can be rather dramatic at times. occurs quite frequently when it's hot and a/c is running. there is no known fix and ford does not acknowledge the problem or a fix. *tr

When car is stopped, transmission in drive, foot usually on the brake, the car suddenly surges forward for 2 -3 seconds. this has happened at least a dozen times since and have to this point been able to stop the car before damage or injury has occurred. *tr

I have had this problem only a few times the last 2 years we have owned the car, but recently, since it has been extremely hot in oklahoma, the ford freestyle that we have lunges forward just as you press the brake or let off. i have almost hit several cars, lunged into traffic at a red light, and have reversed into my garage with the brake on. it seems that problem occurs more than 5 times a day. it is to the point where it frightens me and threatens my family when driving in highly populated areas. i phoned a ford dealership in my home town of muskogee,ok and they said it could be the throttle body but the cost of this is several hundred dollars (that i would not like to spend on a car with only 56,000 miles on it). i have done research and there are hundreds of posts about people with the same problem. this needs to be fixed pronto. *tt

I own a 2005 ford freestyle sel with just over 77,000 miles. i have had numerous problems with my vehicle lunging at low speeds (driving forward and reverse) and one time where it lunged, stalled and entered into safe mode while backing up. the air conditioning was on during the incidents. i use the brakes to stop it from lunging but that is because i expect it to happen. to someone who is unaware of the problem might not react the same as i do. it is quite possible that had i not been aware of the problem and reacted properly that i could of hit a pedestrian or another vehicle. to get my vehicle out of safe mode i cycled my key a couple of times with the last time actually taking the key out of the ignition and the vehicle returned to normal driving. *tr

Purchased used ford freestyle december 2010. ran fine until warm weather and use of air conditioner. with a/c on, the electronic throttle control seems to often greatly overshoot the correct setting when shifting from neutral to drive or reverse, which causes a significant engine rpm increase and a momentary "lunge" if the brake is not applied very firmly. many vehicles do this to a minor extent but the freestyle is far and away the worst i've ever seen. this does cause unanticipated vehicle movement and could injure a child, passerby etc or cause a vehicle to enter an intersection. my wife is certainly unnerved by it. effect is in fact sometimes there in cool weather but to a much lesser extent. reading forums and thinking about this (i'm an engineer and sae member) it may very well be something like a worn throttle position sensor interacting with an ecu software glitch, may very well be fixable in software. annoyingly the tps on this vehicle is integrated into the throttle body or i'd just replace the tps. *tr

Stopped after driving a long distance (6 hours) on a major highway to purchase a cup of coffee and after pulling into the parking spot my car lunged forward while stopped. my foot was directly on the brake and i pushed even harder on the brake and my daughter checked my foot location as well. i was firmly on the brake and no where near the gas pedal and i shifted into neutral and pushed harder on the brake and the car stopped. probably would have jumped the curb had i not been able to stop it. in the shop at my ford dealer now and they are telling me that i need the throttle body replaced. no money from ford is available for this nor from my extended warrently and now i must make a decision whether to take my car back without doing the repair that i cannot affort to do now. i believe this should be a covered safety expense as the price is over 500.00+ and i am paying for another repair that was done while under warrently for the shift issue that needed a new shifter bezel. this was done at 32,000 miles and had never been totally fixed but now needs to be replaced once again at 300.00 estimated cost. hope that ford will help all of us out asd this is a dangerous issue with the lunging forward. *tr

Vehicle is surging at low idle. last night i had to press very firmly on the brake to avoid being forced into on coming traffic while exiting a parking lot. another time i had to brake very hard to avoid hitting the steel security gate while exiting my work parking garage. i has happened on other occasions but these two have been the scariest. *tr

Car was parked with out side air temperature 100+, started car and put it into reverse to back out of angle parking stall, car accelerated without throttle pedal not yet being pressed and i applied rapid brake stopping car. engine wrench icon appeared on dash display with engine failsafe message showing. shut off key, restarted and icons did not reappear. same thing occurred two more times and i got car to dealer with throttle control (body) found to be defective and replaced by dealer for $938.32. problem came back on 07/24/2011 with mileage at 121216, air temperature 104 and engine shut down while attempting to park on city street with failsafe message showing. shut off key and restarted car with no message reappearing. took car to dealer and code for defective throttle body found with a replacement cost of $623.05 suggested. called ford customer service with concern that fix was short lived and problem is dangerous and could come back anytime. ford advised they have no recall in effect and engineering would be advised and my request for a call back could happen or not. *tr

Car lunges forward at certain times. most notably while air conditioner is running and pulling into a parking place. sometimes lunges while pulling out of parking; so while in reverse. seems to have something to do with tight turning of the steering wheel. mention has been made of a possible throttle body sensor problem. when taken to the mechanic however; it would not lunge, so no repairs were made. only does it on certain occasions. *tr

2005 ford freestyle unexpectedly accelerates when car is put into gear (forward or reverse), this seems to be aligned with other complaints associated with nhtsa investigation pe11018. the engine will rev when putting the car into gear and will lurch in the direction of the gear that it was placed in. this is not due to the driver inadvertently pressing on the gas pedal at the same time as the brake. the driver has to firmly press on the brakes to prevent the car from moving. if the brake is only pressed just enough to put the car in gear the vehicle will actually move 3-4 feet. the happens sporadically but does occur at least 4-5 times a week.

When idling with your foot on the brake the car will suddenly experience an increase in the rpms and "lunge" either forward or backward depending on which gear is selected: drive or reverse. this behavior happens intermediately, but does not seem to occur when the engine is cold.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford free style. the contact was driving 20 mph when the wrench failure light illuminated and the engine stalled. the vehicle also experienced abnormally high rpms prior to the failure. the contact also stated that on a separate occasion the brakes were depressed but the vehicle failed to stop. the vehicle was towed to a private mechanic where the mechanic confirmed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileages were 120,000.

At random times when the car is idling or at low speeds with no contact with the gas pedal, the engine surges. this occurs in forward or reverse, with or without the brake being applied. at times, the surging is severe and requires a lot of pressure on the brake to hold the car in place. last year, it seemed to occur more often with the ac on. the compressor died, so we had it replaced, but that did not fix the issue. we have not crashed into anything but have come very close. it is troubling since it occurs at low speeds, meaning we're in close proximity to cars, people, and buildings when the engine surges. *tr

Own a 2005 ford freestyle that lunges when the air conditioner is turned on. i've had this problem for several years now with no resolution. it lunges after i've been sitting in idle at a traffic light or if i am backing up. so far i've not had an accident , but just wonder when my luck will run out. sometimes the car will stall out and go in to engine fail safe mode. also i will have my foot firmly on the brake and the car seems to over ride this action and lunges/accelarate on its own. *tr

Engine surged when shifted from park to reverse on multiple occasions. engine stalled, wrench light came on and engine safe mode appeared.. dealership replaced throttle body. *tr

I experienced an uncommanded and overcompensating throttle response while backing up. at the time the air conditioner compressor was engaged and the steering wheel about one turn from full lock. i was able to control the vehicles speed with the brakes and no incident resulted, however without a timely response the outcome may have turned out differently. the "wrench light" illuminated during the occurrence but turned off after restarting the car. the throttle does serge slightly at highway speed but is barley noticeable compared to a load placed on the engine at idle. looking back several years, we also have experienced some starting problems, which i think is related. i believe there is a problem with the throttle body unit, part # 5f9z9e926b. the problem is inconsistent. i have not yet replaced the unit, only cleaned it, which is not a solution. *tr

When i back out of a parking space, the car lunges backwards without me pressing on the gas. this started about 6 months ago. originally it was intermittent. now it happens all of the time. originally, it only happened when the car was in reverse. now after i have backed out of my parking space and put the car into drive, the car lunges forward. now that i know what to expect, i'm very careful because especially in a small parking lot, it would be very easy to hit another car. this is an ongoing incident. *tr

The car surges while idling and when place in drive-the car shuts off and restarts in safe mode and the transmission wrench comes on--you can shut the car off and wait a few seconds and restart and the wrench goes away--this has happened 2 times in the last 2 weeks--first noticed the problem 5/21/11. the car has over 90,000 miles on. *tr

Our ford freestyle had its a/c repaired and since then has been surging at low idle or while backing out of parking spaces. on may 21, 2011 it was the hottest day since the a/c was repaired and the surging was worse. it did it three consecutive times and then the car died. i got it started and 'limped' home. took it to the dealer as they seem to be the only ones who know anything about the type of transmission on this. i did some research and now see where the ntsb is investigating this same issue. *tr

2005 ford freestyle randomly lurches when placed into gear. this has been an ongoing issue since 2008 but initially attributed the problem to driving in excessive heat and improper irregular vehicle maintenance. *tr

First, let me start by saying that i like my ford freestyle. it is a comfortable car with a smooth ride. the event occurred one week ago on sunday may 15th. it was a sunny day, good driving conditions at about 1pm. i was exiting the church parking lot with the radio and air conditioner on. i was in a line of cars waiting to turn onto the main street. the vehicle was in gear in the "d"(drive) position. the car was not moving, and my foot was in mid-air (neither on the accelerator nor on the brake) as i was anticipating the car in front of me to move in a few seconds. suddenly, the engine revved slightly and the car lunged forward about one foot before i could apply the brake. i was very surprised, as this was the first time it had happened. fortunately, i had left about 10 feet room between my car and the car in front of me. ( i am absolutely positive that i did not touch the accelerator pedal, nor did the floor mat) ironically, a few days later, i read an article in our newspaper about a current investigation of about 200 ford freestyles with similar problems. i am very concerned about this potentially serious safety problem that seems to be affecting the ford freestyle. thank you for investigating this matter. *tr

Car lunges forward and backwards even while holding the brake, accelerates on own. wrench lights up then dies. *tr

I have had numerous instances where, when either at a stop light, or parking or waiting in the carpool line my freestyle has lunged forward while my foot was on the brake pedal. some instances are worse than others with more force, but i am able to stop the car by pressing harder on the brake pedal. i have almost hit a couple of cars in the drive thru lanes at restaurants. i have also experienced my freestyle cutting off while at a light, and even once when i took my foot off the gas to coast into a parking lot. the car just died. i called the local ford dealership and they stated that there have been issues with the throttle body sticking and its way of correcting itself is to lunge the car and attempt to right the issue. they quoted anywhere from $100 to try to clean the throttle body and possible have to replace it to the tune of about $700. if this problem is so well known that my dealer knows about it, why has it not been addressed and recalled? *kb

Sudden acceleration- vehicle will lunge forward or backwards when vehicle is stopped or when first put into gear. this happens more frequently when the weather is warm. the vehicle can be stopped with extra brake application. this happens all the time in warm temperatures. i have not had this problem looked at, the vehicle is out of factory warranty and after researching this online it seems like people who have had this repaired continue to have issues. *tr

2005 ford freestyle awd limited, car surges forward, when stopped and when steering wheel is turned. car also stalls while driving or if hitting the gas. *tr

The vehicle started surging without foot on the gas pedal. this occurs at low speeds or when stopping. have had to rapidly press the brake pedal and hold it to avoid accidents. when the surging occurs, many times the vehicle goes into fail-safe engine mode which does not allow one to shift into higher gears. check engine light stays on after occurrence and failsafe engine mode was solved by pulling over, killing the motor, waiting, and then restarting. *kb

Vehicle lunges when coming to a stop or attempting to park while the air conditioning is on. *tr

My 2005 ford freestyle surges violently after warming up when the transmission is in drive and you come to a stop. the car lurches forward quickly and without warning several feet and when you try to brake to stop the forward progress, it usually dies and gives the "wrench" check engine light. it will not restart until you turn the ignition off and back on. it does this mostly during warm to hot weather. rarely through the cool or cold weather. *js

On april 30th, 2011 i was leaving on a short weekend trip with myself and 5 kids. i had just left my driveway and was driving about 25 when a bird flew out in front of me. i proceeded to try to brake so i would not hit the bird. instead of braking, the car accelerated. the kids in the vehicle wanted to know why i sped up instead of braking. it was very scary. if there would have been a car or person in front of me, i would have hit them. thankfully there was not. i let the incident pass and we continued on. on sunday, may 1, 2011, we were driving home when my car started speeding up and then shaking. it was out of control. it was then that the check transmission light came on. i thankfully was able to pull over safely. we ended up having to find transportation for myself and 5 children and then have the car towed back to our local dealership. after the dealership checked it out, we were informed that the transmission is bad and they are asking $6000.00 to fix it. it seems that the special transmission they put in our 2005 freestyle is not a good one and they are having problems with it. it is the "special" transmission that is making it so expensive to fix. so, it seems ford knows that there is a problem but refuses to stand behind its product or customers and fix it. this is a very dangerous situation! i am so thankful no one was hurt in my situation. it could have been much worse considering i live on a busy street with a lot of children. i am glad it was not a child i was trying to stop for as i would have most definitely hit them.. *tr

Lunging when switching gears. *tr

My 2005 ford freestyle lunges forward at slow speeds, in forward and reverse, without me initiating it! this has almost caused me to rear end cars when parking in parking lots, and when stopping at stop lights! this scares me to death! i just recently purchased this car used, now i see why the previous owner got rid of it! i have two small children. i have a four month old and a 3 year old! i bought this vehicle to have something safe to drive them around in. now im wishing i would have bought something else! *tr

2005 ford freestyle lunges unexpectedly while placed in gear or moving at slow speeds. *tr

My 2005 ford freestyle "surges" when the engine is running but my car is not moving. i have to keep my foot on the brake when starting up the car for fear it will lunge forward, or backward, without any pressure put on the gas pedal. i am afraid to let anyone drive the car, even with me telling the person about the surges, since it is not what you would normally be thinking about when starting a car and putting it into gear. i am concerned about the safety of this situation. i have not taken the car to the dealership yet since i don't know what the charge will be for repair. the surging has occurred at least 10 times over the last 2 months. each time i think it is just a one time thing, but now i know it is not. *kb

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. the contact stated that the vehicle suddenly surged forward without warning, when she noticed that the transmission light illuminated. the dealer advised the contact to have the transmission replaced. the manufacturer was aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the current mileage was 67,000. the approximate failure mileage was 64,000. updated 08/31/11 *bf updated 09/01/11

I have a 2005 ford freestyle that has been surging forward when i am at a complete stop & the engine fail safe mode with a wrench has shown up. i have 4 kids & this has happened on the highway with them in the car on the highway & it is very scary to lose power on the highway & try to get to the shoulder without getting hit by another car. *kb

Usually from a dead stop or when the car is shifting down as i begin to stop, it will rev on it's own and lurch. many times from a dead stop the car has reved and lurched on it's own. this happens in drive and reverse and seems random. i believe the difficulty lies in the throttle body which ford refuses to produce a recall on and has had difficulty building replacement parts so many of us are stuck with unsafe vehicles. today, the car reved and lurched and the "failsafe engine mode" came on and the car lost power. i refuse to let my teenaged children drive this car because i believe it is not safe to drive and fear that the problem will cause an accident. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford freestyle. while the vehicle was at a local repair shop for routine maintenance, the mechanic stated the torque mount for the engine was broken. the mechanic stated the torque mount needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was contacted who stated they could not assist with the costs of repairs. the contact stated he was able to drive the vehicle but the front end of the vehicle continued to shake. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 40,000.

Unintended movement, when brake was applied engine seemed to throttled and shifted up without foot on accelerator and continue moving until brake pressed again and emergency brake applied and car hit curb. *tr

After starting car and putting it in gear forward or reverse car will surge. contacted ford dealership. was told no recall. mileage 105,000 started at 102,000. *tr

2005 ford freestyle, the engine revs up and lunges forward in drive with a hard jerk. this also happens in reverse. have to hurry and slam on the brake before hitting anything. after a couple of months the vehicle started knocking in park. also knocks stopped at a red light. brought it to the ford dealer. started the car and was told that it was the transmission without them even taking a look. this is an issue that ford knows about and received many complaints about but still have faulty equipment. eventhough this happens at low speeds, this could be very dangerous for kids and people not paying attention walking by. can't believe this issue is still being looked at to get fixed or recalled. *tt

I have a 2005 ford freestyle that lunges forward at idle. its not consistent but does it at low speeds at lights or coasting thru parking lots. *tr

My 2005 ford freestyle will lunge at low speeds, usually while parking in the driveway or parking lot. this happens quite frequently while the car is in drive or reverse and even caused the front end to lunge into a concrete wall of a parking garage causing minimal damage before the brakes could be applied. *kb

Bought our 2005 ford freestyle new. summer 2010 began having stalling and lurching problems. fall 2010, "knock" in transmission while in neutral and reverse. winter 2010, "knock" becomes more prominent and is now being heard while slowing to a stop. called several non-ford transmission shops, they will not touch the cvt's. finally go to local ford dealership, bearings are going bad, best case scenario $2,000, worst case scenario a re-man tranny $5,400+. of course, after getting into the tranny, i am with the worst case scenario. contact ford customer service.....end result --sorry about your luck. *tr